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IMPRESSION^W 
SOUTHERN  ASIA 


AN  INTERVIEW  WITH 
BISHOP  WILLIAM  F.  McDOWELL 


BISHOP  AND  MRS.  McDOWELL  SPENT  FOUR 
MONTHS  (DECEMBER,  1910,  TO  MARCH,  1911) 
IN  INDIA,  MALAYSIA,  AND  THE  PHILIPPINES. 
THE  OCCASION  WAS  THE  QUADRENNIAL 
VISIT  TO  SOUTHERN  ASIA  OF  A GENERAL 
SUPERINTENDENT.  THIS  INTERVIEW  WITH 
THE  BISHOP  WAS  HAD  IMMEDIATELY  ON 
HIS  RETURN  TO  THE  UNITED  STATES. 


BOARD  OF  FOREIGN  MISSIONS 

OF  THE 

METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

150  FIFTH  AVENUE.  NEW  YORK  CITY 


IMPRESSIONS  OF  SOUTHERN  ASIA 


You  have  made  the  tour  of  all  the  Southern  Asia 
Conferences.  What  have  been  your  dominant 
impressions  ? 

I am  convinced  of  India’s  absolute  need  of  Chris- 
tianity and  the  utter  inability  of  her  own  religions  to 
bring  her  people  redemption  or  new  life.  Over  and 
over  one  keeps  saying,  There  is  no  other  name.  I 
am  impressed  by  the  quality  and  the  quantity  of  the 
work  already  done  by  Christianity  in  India.  This 
is  indicated  both  by  Christianity’s  numerical  strength 
(Protestantism  now  numbering  at  least  a million  people) 
and  by  Christianity’s  tremendous  influence  upon  the 
moral,  religious,  intellectual,  social,  political,  and  per- 
sonal standards  and  ideals  of  India.  The  early  history 
of  the  church  in  the  Roman  Empire  and  in  the  con- 
quest of  Europe  has  many  parallels  in  India  to-day. 
It  is  easy  to  say  that  our  converts  are  mostly  from 
the  outcasts,  and  it  is  easy  to  regret  that  fact,  but  the 
pervasive  influence  of  Christianity  has  gone  through 
all  strata — the  hard  strata  of  Indian  life — until  the 
whole  life  has  already  been  affected  by  it. 

Another  dominant  impression  is  the  solidity  and 
apparent  permanence  of  Christianity  as  one  of  the 
recognized  religions  of  India.  It  is  no  longer  ignored. 
It  is  not  yet  triumphant,  but  it  is  established. 

Another  dominant  impression  is  that  the  task  of  con- 
quest has  only  begun,  is  to  be  harder  before  it  is 
finished,  and  cannot  be  successfuly  performed  by  the 
2 


agencies  and  energies  now  employed  by  the  Christian 
churches  at  work  in  India.  Mohammedanism  in  India 
is  powerful,  active,  popular,  and  aggressive.  Hinduism 
is  having  a real  and  widespread  revival  or  reawakening. 
It  is  not  true  to-day  that  the  altars  of  heathenism  are 
crumbling,  her  temples  neglected,  and  no  new  shrines 
being  built.  In  at  least  two  great  cities  the  most  con- 
spicuous building  enterprises  visible  from  tall  buildings 
are  new  mosques.  The  methods  of  Christianity  are 
being  copied  and  adopted,  features  of  Christian  civili- 
zation are  being  taken  up,  the  language  of  Christianity 
is  being  used,  with  the  heart  of  Christianity  left  out. 
Just  as  in  China  one  hears  of  a Confucio-Christianity, 
so  one  hears  in  India  of  an  Indo-Christianity.  And 
this  is  not  the  pure  eastern  Christianity  of  the  first 
century,  the  Christianity  of  Christ.  It  is  a paganized, 
Hinduized  Christianity  far  removed  from  the  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Hinduism  has  immense  capacity  for 
extinction  by  absorption  and  for  destruction  by  per- 
version, and  this  capacity  is  at  work  on  Christianity 
in  India.  The  Samaj  movements  are  not  in  the  in- 
terest of  a true  pure  type  of  Christianity.  In  view 
of  certain  reactions  and  the  revival  of  non-Christian 
influences,  the  immense  awakening  of  mighty  Moham- 
medanism, and  its  powerful  appeal  to  the  Eastern  mind, 
one  cannot  resist  the  impression  that  the  great  work 
of  Christianity  in  India  is  yet  to  be  done.  The 
church  at  home  must  not  demand  or  expect  the  impos- 
sible of  the  young  church  in  that  vast  and  varied 
empire.  A course  in  early  church  history  would  be 
good  for  Mission  Study  classes  just  now. 

Another  dominant  impression  is  that  new  emphasis 
must  be  laid  upon  the  training  of  Christian  leaders — 
men  and  women — on  the  field.  We  have  reached  the 
point  where  a mighty  native  leader,  educated  and  con- 
secrated, is  imperatively  needed  in  every  important  center. 
We  must  not  train  fewer  workers,  but  must  train  more 
leaders.  We  can  go  on  as  we  are  going  by  doing 
3 


as 


we  are  doing,  but  the  excellent  work  we  have  done 
compels  an  immeasurably  better  work  than  we  have 
ever  done.  The  leadership  of  India  will  pass  into 
the  hands  of  educated  Indians,  who  will  lead  both 
the  educated  and  the  uneducated  classes.  Uneducated 
Indians  cannot  do  it.  Educated  Americans  and  Euro- 
peans cannot  do  it.  Educated  Indians  will  do  it.  Shall 
that  educated  leadership  be  Christian  or  non-Christian? 
That  is  the  whole  question.  Mass  movements  among 
the  outcasts  make  educated  Christian  leadership  im- 
perative. Mohammedans  and  Hindus  see  this  clearly. 
They  will  provide — are  providing — the  institutions  of 
higher  learning  and  are  filling  them.  The  most  active 
educational  movement  of  the  year  has  been  the  endow- 
ment of  the  Mohammedan  College  at  Aligarh  as  a 
tribute  to  the  new  king-emperor  and  a feature  of  the 
durbar!  Will  the  Christian  Church  be  wise  in  the 
day  of  its  opportunity?  Ten  years  from  to-day  our 
native  ministry  in  India  ought  to  have  at  least  a 
hundred  men  in  it  who  are  graduates  of  college  and 
theological  seminary.  To-day  in  all  India  we  have 
one.  I never  have  had  such  a conviction  as  to  the 
value  and  the  necessity  of  higher  Christian  education 
as  India  has  given  me.  This  is  the  test  and  proof  of 
its  excellence.  Every  good  work  done  requires  that 
better  work  shall  follow  it. 

Another  dominant  impression  is  that  the  field 
is  undermanned,  that  our  present  force  is  inade- 
quate, that  our  missionaries  are  compelled  to 
spend  too  much  time  and  strength  obtaining 
money  to  carry  on  their  own  work,  that  this 
constant  strain  upon  them  in  large  part  takes 
them  out  of,  and  unfits  them  for,  their  own  highest 
and  best,  most  direct  missionary  service,  and  that 
the  Kingdom  of  God  in  India  would  be  made  glad 
if  all  “ special  givers”  at  home  should  send  word 
to  all  missionaries  that  they  need  not  write  any 
more  appeals  for  ten  years,  and  that  all  “ special 
4 


gifts  ” would  be  continued  for  ten  years  and 
increased  ten  per  cent  each  year,  so  that  the 
missionaries  could  be  missionaries  instead  of  part 
missionary  and  part  agonized  and  burdened 
solicitors  of  funds.  More  than  one  confessed  to 
me  that  he  gave  half  his  strength  to  the  task  of 
raising  special  gifts.  And  yet  these  are  the  men 
most  competent  to  lead  India’s  hosts  and  to  guide 
the  young  church  aright.  And  the  need  of 
missionary  leadership  was  never  so  great  and  its 
opportunity  never  so  promising.  More  than  once 
as  these  men  told  me  of  their  hundreds  of  letters 
and  their  anxieties  I said  in  my  heart,  “Loose 
them  and  let  them  go.’’ 

Another  dominant  impression  which  made  glad  my 
heart  was  the  impression  made  upon  me  by  certain 
native  ministers  and  native  Christians.  I looked  for 
the  types  I had  heard  William  Butler  speak  of  years 
ago  and  found  them — found  them  in  beauty  and  strength 
of  Christian  life,  experience,  and  character.  No  one 
could  meet  some  of  the  men  and  women  we  saw  and 
ever  doubt  again  the  power  of  the  Gospel  of  Christ 
in  the  life  of  a modern  Indian.  In  a certain  village 
one  early  morning  Mrs.  McDowell  was  attracted  by  the 
faces  of  certain  women,  who  looked  different  from 
the  others — they  had  light  and  character  in  their  faces. 
She  asked  who  they  were  and  was  told  at  once:  “They 
are  Christians  of  the  second  generation."  The  Hindu- 
ism of  the  centuries  has  not  produced  anything  to 
equal  certain  men  whose  names  leap  to  my  lips,  and 
whose  faces  rise  before  me,  sons  of  outcasts  who  have 
become  sons  of  God — lit  to  stand  before  kings. 

Another  dominant  impression  was  made  by  the  mani- 
fest success  of  our  work  in  India.  The  missionaries 
will  easily  recall  criticisms  I freely  made  when  with 
them,  criticisms  of  past  mistakes  and  present  errors  as 
they  seemed  to  me.  But  making  all  abatements  neces- 
sary to  be  made,  I record  my  deliberate  conviction 
5 


that  our  mission  in  India  has  achieved  under  God  a 
success  far  beyond  all  legitimate  human  expectations, 
and  possibly  the  largest  success  of  any  of  our  foreign 
missions.  The  vision  of  what  God  has  enabled  us 
to  do  is  enough  to  make  any  man  shout  for  joy.  And 
I did  it  more  than  once — sometimes  over  the  work  of 
men  with  whose  policies  I disagree.  The  hand  of 
God  has  led  our  church  in  India. 

How  much  of  our  work  in  Eastern  Asia  were 
you  able  to  inspect  ? 

All  that  I have  said  relates  to  India.  My  assignment 
took  me  to  Malaysia  and  the  Philippines,  and  our 
journey  after  the  Conferences  were  over  took  us  to 
China,  Japan,  and  Korea,  and  Honolulu. 

The  work  in  Malaysia  is  most  interesting  and,  as  it 
seems  to  me,  exceedingly  promising.  The  industrial  de- 
velopments in  the  various  parts  of  Malaysia  are  rapid 
and  significant.  It  is  one  of  the  regions  where  they 
are  in  need  of  and  seeking  population.  Many  millions 
of  China’s  enormous  multitude  will  find  a home  some- 
where in  Malaysia.  Our  church  is  working  on  states- 
manlike lines  to  meet  and  master  the  conditions  there, 
some  of  them  rapidly  changing.  We  had  a visit  during 
the  Conference  from  two  Chinese  gentlemen  from  out 
in  Java,  sent  by  their  local  Chamber  of  Commerce, 
who  came  asking  us  to  send  them  two  school  teachers 
to  establish  Christian  schools  in  their  city.  And  they 
were  most  careful  to  tell  us  that  they  would  themselves 
meet  all  the  expenses,  including  salaries.  All  they 
wanted  was  the  teachers. 

It  is  not  easy  to  restrain  one’s  enthusiasm  over  our 
work  in  the  Philippines.  Possibly  being  under  the 
Stars  and  Stripes  again  after  many  months  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  stirring  our  feelings. 

What  our  government  has  done  in  the  brief  years 
of  our  occupancy  is  enough  to  make  every  American 
proud.  The  American  schoolhouse  is  the  new  symbol 
6 


in  the  Island.  There  as  at  home  America  believes  in 
popular  education. 

What  the  American  churches  have  done  is  enough 
to  set  an  American  to  singing  doxologies  and  national 
airs.  There  is  a careful  territorial  agreement  between 
the  churches  so  that  the  work  does  not  overlap.  There 
is  a fine  spirit  also  between  them,  resulting  in  admirable 
co-operation  and  consequent  influence  for  Protestantism. 

We  held  the  Conference  at  Mexico  in  the  Province 
of  Pampanga,  a beautiful  session  held  in  the  converted 
theater  presented  to  the  Church  by  our  splendid  breth- 
ren, the  Cunanan  brothers,  who  entertained  all  the  mis- 
sionaries at  their  own  table  through  the  session.  On 
Sunday  the  whole  town  celebrated  the  tenth  anniversary 
of  the  coming  of  Protestantism  to  the  town.  The  two 
most  striking  “floats”  in  the  parade  were  a Bible  chained 
and  padlocked  on  one  table  and  an  open  Bible  radiant 
with  light  on  another. 

The  Philippine  Islands  University  will  be  built  at 
once  in  Manila.  The  Christian  churches  should  at 
once  provide  ample  hostels  to  take  care  of  their  own 
young  people  and  should  unite  to  build  in  Manila  a 
union  Christian  College  powerful  and  commanding  in 
its  equipment  and  faculty  and  thoroughly  Christian  in 
its  tone.  No  one  denomination  can  do  it  in  strength — 
such  strength  as  to  command  the  situation.  Such  an 
institution  should  be  as  good  as  the  government’s  own 
in  its  collegiate  work,  plus  the  spirit  and  presence  of 
Christ. 

The  work  of  the  American  churches  in  the  Philippines 
has  a significance  and  importance  for  the  East  quite 
beyond  the  size  of  that  work  itself,  just  as  the  work 
in  Hawaii  has.  In  these  Islands  the  work  of  the 
American  churches,  under  the  American  flag,  is  an 
exhibition  to  the  Orient.  Countries  like  China  and 
Japan  are  both  interested  in  seeing  what  we  do  under 
such  conditions.  There  is  a double  necessity  for  doing 
it  well. 


7 


In  the  Philippines,  as  in  China,  Korea,  and  Japan,  it 
was  more  than  a joy  to  meet  that  splendid  layman  from 
Brooklyn,  Frank  L.  Brown,  who  was  representing 
the  International  Sunday  School  Association  and  oui 
own  Board  of  Sunday  Schools  in  services  of  the  highest 
value.  In  all  these  countries  the  Sunday  school  is  a 
genuinely  live  institution.  In  the  Philippines  the  Rev. 
Harry  Farmer  will  hereafter  give  half  his  time  to 
Sunday  school  work,  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  and 
the  Board  of  Sunday  Schools  dividing  his  salary  be- 
tween them. 

Have  your  convictions  deepened  as  to  the 
quality  of  missionaries  needed  in  our  various 
fields  ? 

How  can  one  fail  to  have  his  convictions  deepen  on 
that  point  as  he  sees  the  difficulties  on  the  field?  Lord 
Salisbury  wrote  Lord  Roberts  when  he  wanted  that 
great  soldier  to  go  to  South  Africa:  “We  are  finding 
out  that  this  war  depends  on  the  generals."  This  work 
calls  for  the  best  the  Church  has  to  offer.  How  many 
men  on  the  field  said  to  me,  sometimes  with  tears,  always 
with  intensity:  “Send  us  the  best  men  you  can  get!" 
More  than  one  with  a noble  record  of  devotion  and 
achievement  said:  “Send  better  men  than  we  are — 
the  work  calls  for  better  men  every  year.  It  is  one 
of  the  sure  tests  of  our  work  that  it  always  compels 
better  work  than  ours  to  be  done.  We  are  not  doing 
well  unless  those  who  come  after  us  are  compelled  to 
do  better.  The  machinery  of  missions  calls  for  more 
competent  engineers  every  year.”  So  men  on  the  field 
spoke  over  and  over  again.  The  whole  matter  on  the 
human  side  of  it  hinges  on  the  quality  of  the  missionary, 
Tire  selection  and  training  of  missionaries  should  every- 
where be  put  upon  the  wisest  and  most  adequate  basis. 

Will  the  mission  field  best  profit  by  an  increase 
in  the  number  of  missionaries  with  general 
qualifications,  adaptable  for  any  phase  of  the 

8 


work,  or  should  we  send  an  increasing  number  of 
men  and  women  exceptionally  qualified  for  par- 
ticular duties  ? 

Both.  Just  as  at  home  there  is  always  abundant  room 
for  men  of  general  ability,  provided  it  is  of  high  order, 
a mission  should  always  have  men  whom  it  can  use 
in  almost  any  place.  Men  are  few  and  must  do  many 
things.  A mission  made  up  wholly  of  specialists  would 
be  badly  handicapped.  And  a mission  without  special- 
ists cannot  do  its  work.  Education  particularly  requires 
more  and  more  that  men  shall  be  specially  prepared 
for  it.  Government  makes  that  necessary  even  if  there 
were  no  other  influences  at  work.  But  in  other  fields 
the  same  demand  exists.  The  work  of  Brenton  Badley 
for  the  Epworth  League  has  already  justified  his  appoint- 
ment and  will  increasingly  do  so  according  to  present 
outlook.  The  next  special  appointments  I would  make 
for  India  would  be  two  specialists  for  Sunday  school 
work,  and  one  specialist  to  be  educational  secretary,  to 
do  for  India  what  Dr.  Gamewell  is  doing  for  China. 
We  have  two  thirds  of  all  the  Sunday  school  enroll- 
ment of  India.  It  is  an  immense  field.  Our  educational 
institutions  of  all  classes  need  correlating  and  unifying 
and  standardizing  and  the  touch  of  a master  hand. 
The  organization  of  our  schools  into  a system,  the  treat- 
ment of  our  educational  work  as  a whole,  the  adjust- 
ment of  one  part  of  it  according  to  wise  policy  to  the 
system  as  a whole,  this  should  be  done  at  once.  An 
educational  statesman  would  have  an  immense  field  in 
India  and  an  almost  unsurpassed  opportunity  to  do 
a monumental  work.  He  would  find  all  ready  to  his 
hand  a noble  lot  of  schools,  fine  and  strong,  waiting 
only  to  be  organized  into  such  a system  as  would  compel 
all  India's  admiration.  And  Methodism  can  do  this 
kind  of  thing.  Anything  else  is  un-Methodistic. 

Is  Methodism  going  to  make  its  largest  con- 
tribution to  the  Christianization  of  Asia  by  seeking 

9 


on  that  continent  to  gather  together  an  Asiatic 
“people  called  Methodists,”  or  by  an  emphasis 
on  universal  values  to  work  toward  the  establish- 
ment of  national  churches  in  India,  China,  etc.  ? 

I can  speak  only  of  India,  having  seen  so  small  a 
part  of  China  and  Japan.  The  denominational  em- 
phasis in  India  as  in  America  must  always  be  upon  the 
denomination  as  a means  to  the  establishment  of  the 
kingdom.  Methodism  has  no  mission  anywhere  simply 
to  gather  together  a “people  called  Methodists.”  But 
her  proper  emphasis  upon  universal  values  is  not  made 
anywhere  by  striking  her  own  note  feebly,  but  by  striking 
it  harmoniously;  harmoniously  with  the  note  of  universal 
values  and  with  all  other  churches  playing  the  same 
tune.  That  is  the  general  statement.  That  there  must 
be  a new  co-operation  on  the  field  is  a modem  common- 
place. That  there  is  more  of  it  already  on  the  field  than 
at  home  is  doubtless  true.  But  the  hint  of  a national 
church  in  India  compels  me  to  say  that  I do  not  find 
evidence  that  the  church  in  India  is  anywhere  near 
ready  to  plan  for  such  a thing.  The  conditions  for  a 
national  church  in  India  simply  do  not  now  exist  and 
will  not,  I fear,  for  a long  time  yet. 

You  know  the  home  church  and  you  have  now 
traveled  widely  among  our  Asiatic  fields.  Where, 
in  your  judgment,  is  the  crux  of  the  problem  of 
Methodism  to-day,  in  the  matter  of  meeting  its 
full  responsibility  to  the  non-Christian  world  ? 

There  is  rarely  a complicated  and  vast  enterprise 
like  the  missionary  cause  that  depends  or  chiefly  de- 
pends upon  any  one  thing,  however  important.  There 
are  not  many  of  these  problems  that  can  be  solved 
by  a single  word,  or  situations  that  can  be  opened  by 
a skeleton  key.  We  could  do  our  work  much  more 
easily  if  the  system  of  the  skeleton  key  could  be  applied. 
I have  not  found  that  it  can.  I would  say  that  the  crux 
of  the  problem  is  not  our  machinery,  nor  our  cash  box, 
10 


nor  our  missionaries,  but  the  perfect  adjustment  ancf 
use  of  the  total  power  of  the  church,  under  God’s 
Spirit,  to  the  total  task  of  the  church. 

It  goes  without  saying  that  among  the  very 
greatest  needs  are  those  for  funds  and  reinforce- 
ments. But  do  you  return  with  any  new  convic- 
tions about  how  these  needs  can  be  met  from 
the  home  base  ? 

I have  been  steadily  studying  the  foreign  field  during 
the  seven  months  since  leaving  home,  and  have  not 
been  studying  the  home  base.  I return,  however,  with 
a deepened  sense  of  the  value  of  the  organized  work 
of  the  Board  of  Foreign  Missions  as  distinguished  from 
all  individual  and  independent  operations.  And  in  re- 
sponse to  your  question  I can  only  give  the  general 
answer  that  the  Board  as  the  connecting  agency  between 
the  field  at  home  and  the  force  on  the  field  abroad 
should  be  strengthened  in  every  way.  It  should  have 
in  its  hand  the  appeal  of  the  general  cause  and  the 
charm  of  the  special  causes.  The  cheapest,  best,  most 
correlated  and  permanent  missionary  work  I have  seen 
is  the  work  directed  and  supported  by  Boards  like 
our  own.  Of  course  the  state  of  the  church  at  home 
determines  the  fate  of  the  church  abroad.  The  condi- 
tion of  the  heart  affects  all  the  extremities.  And  I do 
not  mean  the  simple  willingness  to  give  money.  I 
mean  particularly  the  ability  to  give  life.  For  long, 
long  yet  the  heart  at  home  must  be  supplying  blood  to 
the  far  extremities. 


11 


